9 best practices for a comprehensive remote onboarding

While onboarding a remote employee is certainly different in some aspects than an in-person onboarding, the objectives of both are the same. To assist the employee in getting off to a quick start, forging connections, comprehending the culture, and identifying expectations.

A majority of managers are aware of how challenging it can be to onboard a  new employee remotely, and many also understand the potential long-term effects that a bad onboarding process may have on their staff. 

A negative onboarding experience doubles the chances of an employee to seek another opportunity, while a great onboarding experience ensures 69% of employees stick with a company for three years.

Building out  a remote onboarding process for your distributed team? Read on.

9 tips for onboarding remote employees

Getting off to a good start will save your business time, money, and the expense of often attracting top talent.

Here are some tips to help you foster a feeling of belonging amongst your own remote employees, increase new hire happiness, and lower employee attrition. 

Send a welcome-kit

A carefully designed set of goods and office equipment known as a “onboarding” or “welcome” kit aids in introducing new recruits to your company ‘s ethos and brand. The gear may be given to them as a nice surprise on their first day, or included in your pre-onboarding procedure.

Remember to include a company hand book, contact details of all relevant personnel, and any other such important information. 

Simplify documentation

Studies show that the first hundred days of employment are crucial in establishing an employee’s relationship with their employer. Ensure a smooth onboarding experience by simplifying the process of document verification. It is a good idea to share a list of the different identification and qualification certificates that may be required by the company’s HR.  

Similarly, any documentation shared with the candidate should be provided in a simplified manner so that it is easy to comprehend and apply in their work.

Appoint a buddy for the new employee

Often, new employees might hesitate in reaching out to their seniors or the HR for every small detail. Designate a person they can consult without hesitation with respect to general company policies, culture, or any other such details.  

A new member of the team may be introduced to others by this person, who can also serve as a pleasant contact point for them. New recruits and their buddies can connect in a number of methods, including video conversations and check-ins on Slack. 

Set up their workspace

First-day jitters may be reduced by offering every candidate a meeting with IT to demonstrate how the conferencing system, channels of communication, and other business technologies operate. By doing this, technological difficulties are reduced and new hires are better equipped to participate and feel at ease on their first day. 

Some companies provide new hires with phones and laptops that have been configured with the appropriate business settings and security measures. This fosters a sense of belonging to the company and lessens fear among new hires.

Setting up their emails, slack and trello for them also gives them an easy headstart for their tasks.

Share your remote work policy

Setting clear expectations from day1 is always a good idea, especially for remote teams. Ensure that your remote work policy includes all important details about availability and work hours, the preferred channels of communication, security precautions and any other such relevant details. Many groups rely on natural channels of communicating important details. 

Don’t leave new workers to make educated guesses about these matters; doing so can lead to uncertainty and tension. If all information is made available, there is less room for doubt or errors. 

Create a memorable first day

Find a way to make a candidate feel welcome as soon as they accept the job offer. As mentioned above, you can send new hires’ houses a welcome package before the start day stuffed with company goods and a heartfelt statement relating the goods to the company’s goals.

You can also host a coffee break to introduce the hire to everyone and create a fun, all-round experience for them to see who and what everyone and everything is. This goes a long way in creating a feeling of community and building trust between employees.

Schedule on-the-job training sessions

More training for the workplace is sought after by 67% of remote workers. Give new employees the chance to take advantage of online learning resources after, or during onboarding and a reimbursement for professional or personal growth of their choice.

There could also be training sessions for new employees who aren’t acclimated to the work environment of your company. Training the employee with how everything works is a good way to get them quickly started on their responsibilities.

Encourage collaborative learning

During onboarding, when new hires must collaborate to finish a case or group project, relationships are formed and team members are introduced. However, this is also a chance to cross-train teams. To provide new sales representatives relationships in other departments, have them spend their orientation working with a recruiter and a member of the support staff. 

Check-in often, and offer support

It’s a great idea to organize weekly one-on-one sessions to answer questions, discuss any difficulties, or concentrate on areas for improvement and trust-building. In addition to formal meetings, managers can hold casual coffee discussions when no work is mentioned with the intention of team building and helping the new employee feel welcome.

Virtual onboarding for remote employees can get hard for both the recruiter and employee, and this is one way of making them feel supported and comfortable in their role both personally and professionally.

Conclusion

Remote workers are now a significant portion of the workforce; since 2005, there has been a 159% growth in the number of persons who work remotely. Consequently, there has also been a change in how businesses onboard new employees. 

One of the most crucial factors in employee success is virtual onboarding for new hires. Gaining momentum begins with a solid start. A bad start undermines the confidence of a new recruit and makes the hiring decision questionable for the company. 

Your onboarding programme should just be the first step of a lifelong learning process that continues to improve your workers’ cultural fit, connections with others in the company, and job performance. With Talent500’s assistance, you can make your virtual onboarding process just that – successful. We provide unmatched AI-powered talent management and acquisition solutions tailored to your company.

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